The Weekly Encourager – February 14, 2013 – Some Thoughts on True Love

Valentine's Day is here again, that one day of the year when we are supposed to give and receive love, or at least tokens of it. It's also the one day guaranteed to make some feel righteous, some feel guilty, and some feel lonely. (Thanks, Hallmark!) Fortunately, true love is more than candy, cards, flowers, and romantic evenings.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus...For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” - Ephesians 2:4-6,10 ESV

This passage gives some insight into the nature of true love. God's love is so gracious. We were full of sin, but God was full of mercy. We deserved death, but God gave us life in Christ. We were headed for Hell, but God hands us to Heaven. We are reborn to a life of joyful service, destined to do good all our days.

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” - Colossians 3:12-14 ESV

These are the traits of a person who truly loves: compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forbearance, forgiveness. We who are the recipients of God's grace grow in grace ourselves. A gracious heart overflows in gracious behavior toward others. Every loving thought, word, and deed is because God first loved us.

Gracious Heavenly Father, You are merciful, compassionate, forgiving. Thank You for loving me so much when I deserve nothing good at all. I have such a long way to go when it comes to sharing Your love with others. Today, may I grow in understanding and appreciating Your grace, that I may apply Your grace to every circumstance and person in my life. Make me a person who truly loves.

God is love,

j